U12 Nero Boys at Sunbelt Classic

The Rush Pikes Peak Nero U12 Boys team had a great showing at the 2014 Sunbelt Classic in Pueblo to start the 2014 Spring season. The boys drew Rush Pikes Peak Azul for their first group play match on Saturday, and after a great display of talent and effort by both teams, Nero was able to walk away with a 2-0 victory. For the second match of group play Saturday Nero faced WAFC Colorado Copa. Riding the wave of momentum from their first game, Nero came out on fire and were able to win their second match of the tournament 4-1, securing second place and chance to lead the group against the other undefeated team on Sunday - Colorado Storm Yellow, who had been dominating their opponents all day.

Nero was up for the challenge in the first match of two against Storm Yellow, but fell 3-0 to their opponents. Nevertheless, both teams faced each other for a second time later that afternoon for the tournament final. While Nero was out to avenge their first loss of the weekend, Storm Yellow's attack was simply too potent, and the boys went into halftime with a 2-0 deficit, despite having the better run of play. The second half started off with Storm Yellow scoring a third goal, but Nero didn't back down. Taking the fight to their opponents, Nero spent the better part of the second half in their attacking third. Playing with unbelieveable desire and passion, the boys were able to get a goal back off a PK - which was the only goal allowed by Storm Yellow all weekend! Although Nero came up short in their attempts at the championship, the boys were very pleased with their performance and extremely excited to start the season with a second place trophy and medals.

"Regardless of the outcome of this weekend's games," said Nero coach Jotwan Daniels, "I just wanted my boys to come down here and compete this weekend. I was very proud of my team's performance over the course of four games. They showed unbelievable determination, skill, and personal character; it was fun to see them put in work for each other and play pretty good soccer. This weekend's success was a testament to the boy's hard work and effort put in daily at training. I'm looking forward to us continuing to build as the season progresses!" Congratulations boys!